Chabot named Senators captain ahead of season opener

Thomas Chabot was named captain of the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, four days before they play their first game of the 2026-27 season.

The 29-year-old defenseman is the longest-tenured player on the team, having played all nine of his NHL seasons with them since being selected in the first round (No. 18) of the 2015 NHL Draft.

Chabot replaces Brady Tkachuk , who was captain for the past five seasons before he was traded to the Florida Panthers on June 21.

Forwards Claude Giroux and Tim Stutzle and defenseman Jake Sanderson were named alternates.

"Big surprise, huge honor," Chabot said. "I don't have many words, which is rare for me. It's a big honor. I'm kind of shaking right now. But it's going to be a fun year. We have a hell of a group of guys and I feel like we're obviously really tight and I think we can go a long way this year. ... Excited for this year, it'll be a good time and it'll be a fun year."

Chabot had 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in 57 games for the Senators last season and averaged 22:35 of ice time, second on the team behind defenseman Jake Sanderson (24:50). He did not have a point, but led the Stanley Cup Playoffs in ice time per game (31:07) in four games for Ottawa , which was swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference First Round.

He has 335 points (78 goals, 257 assists) in 569 regular-season games and four points (one goal, three assists) in 10 postseason games.

"Thomas exemplifies everything we want in an Ottawa Senator," Ottawa general manager Steve Staios said. "He's committed to the city and to the organization. He puts the team first."

The Senators open the regular season at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SNO, SNP).

Three NHL teams remain without a captain: the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks.